News & Issues

I am pleased to report that yesterday’s federal Budget committed $16M towards the building of an alternative pay system to replace the disastrous Phoenix.

Hundreds of members of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and other unions are gathering in Ottawa today to protest the inability of the federal government to Fix Phoenix.

Finally we are seeing two long-overdue improvements to the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP): coverage of non-oral contraceptive methods and an electronic system for making vision care and paramedical claims.

“Our members have overwhelmingly said that Phoenix cannot be fixed and must be nixed; $16M to investigate an alternative to the Phoenix system is a good first step,” said Debi Daviau, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). “It is vital that any new system is built and operated by the government’s own computer systems professionals.”

With “tax season” fast approaching, the government has recently updated the information available online regarding three types of financial claims linked to the Phoenix pay system: requesting an advance for government benefits; reimbursement for tax advice; and claims for out-of-pocket expenses.

Debi Daviau, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) will be available on February 27, 2018 to provide comment on the 2018 federal budget.

The Trudeau government has made progress in its efforts to reverse the impacts of muzzling under the previous government, says a new survey report released by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). But, says the union that represents over 16,000 federal scientists, engineers and researchers, much more work needs to be done.

A survey report on federal government efforts to reverse the effects of The Big Chill “I will expect you to work with your colleagues ... to deliver on your top priorities:

In this 15-minute video, representatives from the EWSP Advisory Team will walk you through the background of the program, how the ongoing work is getting done and the progress that has already been made.

Last week I was invited to meet with the Cabinet level working group on the Phoenix pay system to discuss potential solutions. I last met with the Cabinet committee in June 2017 and since then we have sadly seen little to no progress – in fact the problems continue to mount.

While work to replace Phoenix with the NextGen HR-to-Pay system is underway, you may still be dealing with pay errors. Take steps now to ensure your case is addressed:

As the second anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system approaches, 17 unions representing over 225,000 federal public service workers have sent a joint letter of demands to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

On February 7, 2018, PIPSC Vice-President Stéphane Aubry and Special Advisor to the President Emily Watkins testified before the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance about the Phoenix pay system’s impact on Institute members.

On February 6, 2018 PIPSC President Debi Daviau led a dozen-strong Institute delegation to Ottawa’s Parliament Hill as part of the Canadian Labour Congress’ (CLC) annual Lobby Day.

February 5, 2018 The 55 unions represented on the Canadian Council of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) recognize without exception that when one of our affiliates is attacked, our movement is attacked.

Despite much public controversy surrounding it over the past few months, Bill C-27, which would make it easier for employers to convert existing employee Defined Benefit (or DB) pension plans to so-called Target Benefit (or TB) plans, remains at the First Reading stage in Parliament. That means it could still become law if nothing is done to stop it.

PIPSC is proud to salute and celebrate the legacy, the courage and the contribution of the Black community.

I recently wrote to Treasury Board President Scott Brison to express my frustration at being informed that the government is very likely not going to be able to process overpayment claims reported by the January 19, 2018 deadline.

As we approach the two-year anniversary of the introduction of the Phoenix pay system, PIPSC members are still facing mounting pay problems – and they’ve had enough. The time has come for the government to compensate employees for the hardship this system has put our members through.

The news that Canada’s largest private-sector union, Unifor, has decided to withdraw its membership from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has taken many by surprise.

It is with great sadness that the Institute announces the death of one of its most prominent members, Dr. Shiv Chopra.

It has come to our attention that many of you who are trying to report overpayments by the January 19, 2018 deadline cannot get through to Contact Centre staff because of busy signals or being put on hold for extended periods.

With the 2017 tax season almost here, overpayment situations caused by the Phoenix system can become particularly stressful for government employees. Pressed by public service bargaining agents, the government has taken a number of steps to ensure public servants are not out-of-pocket as a result of an overpayment.

Predictions are rarely 100% accurate. But some offer better-educated guesses than others. Here then are my forecasts (and a few resolutions) for the coming year.

Send a message to Finance Minister Bill Morneau on the upcoming 2018 Federal Budget. Take a moment and visit #YourBudget2018 and fill out the federal government’s four brief, interactive budget surveys.

On behalf of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents some 55,000 professionals across Canada’s federal and provincial public sectors, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to civilian members of the RCMP from these Occupational Groups, who will so

On December 11, 2017, the federal government released “Building a Diverse and Inclusive Public Service,” the final report of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion.

Over the past few months, there have been a number of developments concerning your integration into the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). While we have endeavoured to communicate with you in a timely and accurate fashion, it is not always easy for us to understand the government’s thinking. But we have now reached a stage where we are confident in what we can tell you.

Recently changes were made to the Employment Insurance Act (E.I.) to introduce new leaves and extend the duration of the parental leave.

"Power Play CTV - Interview with union leader a/ IBM pay system in Queensland" filmed on December 4, 2017

December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) welcomes today’s apology by the Prime Minister to members of the LGBTQ community harmed by decades of official and unofficial discrimination.

PIPSC is applauding a decision by the federal government to put the transfer of RCMP civilian employees to the Phoenix pay system “indefinitely” on hold.

More reaction on the Phoenix system from Public Services and Procurement Canada Minister Carla Qualtrough and Debi Daviau posted on CPAC on November 21, 2017

"Ottawa turns to U.S. tech giants too often: internal memo" published on CBC.ca on November 24, 2017"